This is my Anti-Lexile, Anti-Reading Level Post.

This is my anti-lexile, anti-reading level post. I get it. Well-intentioned parents want to challenge their children. Well-meaning teachers want to be sure that students are advancing in their reading levels. Maybe this is okay in first or second grade (although some commenters of this post argue that even this isn’t okay). Beyond these beginning grade levels, let’s stop this madness. We can do better. We cannot calculate the complexity of a text using a mathematical equation.

A few words from Mike Mullin, author of Ashfall: “Try taking this comment, and running it through the Lexile analyzer. Then replace every other period in this comment with ‘and,’ and run it again. The problem will be instantly apparent–the Lexile level will change by 400 – 600 points. You cannot accurately quantify something as complex as reading with simplistic sentence and word counts that fail to take into account the most important variable: the child” (Posted to http://mikemullin.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-lexiles-harm-students.html).

So why do we use Lexiles for older kids? Perhaps it is based on fear. We worry we aren’t challenging our students, so the Lexile numbers give us the confidence and assurance to move forward. It appeases the nagging worry that maybe we aren’t challenging our children enough. Because if the number/letter on the child’s book is higher than the number/letter on the last book the student read, I am doing my job as a parent, as an educator, as an administrator, right?

Even worse, some parents/teachers make students internalize levels. A child will tell me, “I am a G reader.” How does this G reader feel when the G reader is surrounded by J reader peers? What does this do for reader confidence? If we must use reading levels, let’s tell kids that they are reading G books and aren’t G readers. Reading levels shouldn’t define them.

(A great graphic from Unshelved)

I cringe when I hear about parents or teachers who strictly adhere to reading levels alone and won’t let children read books that are “too high/low in their Lexile number.” I watched a mother tell her son that he couldn’t get the train book that he wanted so badly because the number on the back cover was too high for him. He was disappointed, and he was even more disappointed when his mom selected a book that was not interesting to him. It really sucks the fun out of reading when you have to pick a book within your required sentence length instead of within your interests.

(Another great graphic from Unshelved. They really nail this topic, don’t they?)

Let’s take a look at the Lexile Bands by grade level:

Grade Lexile Band – Text Demand Study 2009

6 860L to 920L

7 880L to 960L

8 900L to 1010L

9 960L to 1110L

10 920L to 1120L

11 and 12 1070L to 1220L

(from the Common Core State Standards for English, Language Arts, Appendix A [Additional Information], NGA and CCSSO, 2012)

When we look at the Lexile levels of books, many of the typical texts taught in these grades meet these standards. But so many don’t, and this is quite problematic. If we take Lexiles as fact, these are the grades we should be teaching the following texts (Lexiles are in parentheses):

2nd Grade

Night – Wiesel (570)

3rd Grade

The Sun Also Rises – Hemingway (610)

Twisted – Anderson (680)

Incarceron – Fisher (600)

4th Grade

Grapes of Wrath – Steinbeck (680)

The Color Purple – Walker (670)

5th Grade

For Whom the Bell Tolls – Hemingway (840)

Kite Runner – Hosseini (840)

A Farewell to Arms – Hemingway (730)

Cat’s Cradle – Vonnegut (790)

6th Grade

As I Lay Dying – Faulkner (870)

The Sound and the Fury – Faulkner (870)

To Kill a Mockingbird – Lee (870)

Fahrenheit 451 – Bradbury (890)

7th Grade

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Foer (940)

8th Grade

Les Miserables – Hugo (990)

Huck Finn – Twain (990)

9th Grade

Harry Potter Half-Blood Prince – Rowling (1030)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Kinney (1060)

We cannot assign a number to a book. Further, we cannot assign a book to a number. But the Common Core says we should. No, actually, it doesn’t. Direct quote from the Common Core: “The following text samples primarily serve to exemplify the level of complexity and quality that the Standards require all students in a given grade band to engage with. Additionally, they are suggestive of the breadth of texts that students should encounter in the text types required by the Standards. The choices should serve as useful guideposts in helping educators select texts of similar complexity, quality, and range for their own classrooms. They expressly do not represent a partial or complete reading list.” The CCSS actually remind us to look at quantitative, qualitative, and reader/task aspects. (See page 8, Appendix A of the CCSS for a gold mine of reasons we shouldn’t rely solely on these quantitative measures.) So why do so many people think that complexity and quality can only be measured with this quantitative measure? Perhaps this is due to the emphasis on numbers and standardized testing.

Many of the readers of this blog are avid readers themselves. They understand the problematic nature of Lexiles (or other quantitative measures). But others might react with, “Well, if I can’t use these numbers, what do I use?”

How do we challenge readers?

To start, if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend you get your hands on a copy of Teri Lesesne’s Reading Ladders. She uses reading ladders in ways that address complexity without numbers. She writes, “Reading levels and Lexiles are not the way to determine the rigor of a text. Instead, rigor should be determined by sophistication of thought, depth of character development, stylistic choices, and mastery of language on the part of the author. These are present in the best of YA literature” (p. 6). In her book, Lesesne shows us how we can be better and do better than reading levels.

The key to knowing how to challenge our students/children is to read, read, read. This allows us to make recommendations when they finish books. If you don’t have the time to read or this feels outside of your field of study, ask someone who does read widely. There are many bloggers, teachers, librarians, and parents who read widely and are very willing to give recommendations if you can provide reading background and interests of the student.

Head to the library or bookstore. Have your child pick a book based on interest. Open the book and read the first page together. (This can be done online by opening up the preview/”look inside” pages of a book, too.) Ask the child if it feels too difficult to the point that it is frustrating. We want to challenge our children, but we don’t want them to dislike reading because it feels much too difficult. If the book is too easy for the child, ask yourself, “Will this be harmful?” I am a parent. My son is still in preschool and is a beginning reader, but often, I picture him in elementary school. If he reads thirty books below his “reading level,” is this a bad thing? If these books propel him to read thirty more books (some above and some below) his reading level, I think this is quite all right. I want to feed his hunger to read. And telling him that he is a level 320 reader or even that he is reading a level 320 book is going to do nothing but make reading feel foreign, scientific, and boring. Let’s teach kids to read critically and be critical of these levels.

Update: I want to highlight the words within Carlos’ comment on this thread (below).

“Im a 6th grader and when i took a lexile test for my grade, i got stuck with books i hate so much. We had to search for books in my lexile. I as so bored of those books. I want to read whatever i want to.”

I took my grandson (a few years ago) to his book fair to purchase some books with him. He chose a few, & then we went back to his classroom to get his things, where I met his teacher. She took a look at the books he had chosen, and was excited about, and said, “Oh, I think these are too hard for you. You need to choose ones more at your level.” She didn’t know that I was a teacher, and I didn’t tell her. I almost hit her, but I didn’t do that either. She was the one who pretty much stopped his excitement about reading. This was 4th grade. I love what you’ve said here, Ricki, wish that teachers would just help students love to read. Enough said, I’m still upset about it obviously.

I believe everyone should read. It should start with parent reading to their unborn children i the womb. Reading is essential to overall success in life. However, not children have parents or adults who will read to them. I like the number system. We all need a place to begin. I remember family stories, see spot run and Anne frank in high school. But my favorite story was about a boy who participates in the Revolutionary War of Independence for the USA. He looses an arm and the Disney movie of the story does not do it justice. More importartly I had two parents- one with a six grade education and the other who got her GED 25 years after my birth- who encouraged. So I read by the number system with advice of my parents and teachers.

We had an interesting issue with my son a few years ago – the school didn’t have any books in the library at his lexile level!! His score was too high and the teacher didn’t know what to give him to read… so we just went to the local library and let him read whatever he wanted 😉

I’m an eighth grader, and today I saw the recommended books for my Lexile score. My recommended books were called things like, “Psychoendocrinology of human sexual behavior”, and “Autobiographical memory and the construction of a narrative self”. I don’t know about everyone else, but medical textbooks don’t appeal to me. I want this system gone, quite frankly. The above comment is exactly what happens to me every time I take one of those DARNED Lexile tests

This is an area that makes me very sad. So much of what children read in school are things that they wouldn’t pick to read themselves, although I know it’s often necessary. But, I’m all about giving them choices in what they get to read for leisure. I’d also love to due away with reading logs, I think it sucks the fun of reading just for fun.

I am not sure it is entirely necessary. I think we can find good books that are challenging and interesting to kids! I know some people would disagree with me.

I was just talking about reading logs with teachers today! We agreed that they can be used to casually track reading progress, but the signing off on reading logs needs to go away. It just forces kids and parents to lie! There are better ways to track progress, I think. 🙂

I realized the negative power of reading logs when I taught 3rd grade and one of my students (a teacher’s kid) stopped reading as much at night because my homework requirements had been to read 20 minutes each evening. Whereas she had been reading for hours, the homework reading log made it work, and she changed to only reading for 20 minutes. Sometimes our need for control as teachers can put barriers up and fence kids in when all they need to do is run…

This makes complete sense. I battled with this internally when I taught. I think we also need to respect that we all get in reading ruts. There are some days I don’t feel like reading. Having an assigned twenty minutes on those days wouldn’t respect the natural highs and lows of reading identities.

I do agree with this. But would also like to say that finding a book “in their level” may result in finding a new interest. My granddaughter would never have read a Harry Potter book if her teacher hadn’t made her. Now she’s read them all and will read fantasy along with the animal stories. One consideration though is that she was in the third grade, not the ninth as the Lexile level suggests.

I completely understand your argument, but I don’t think the Lexile played a role in that recommendation, due to its rank at the 9th grade. I suspect the teacher recommended it to your granddaughter because she thought that it might be a new interest for her. Like you, I believe in encouraging students to read outside of their typical interests, and book levels seem to be a separate factor. It sounds like she is an avid reader, which is wonderful!

I really loved this post. It totally rings true. I returned to the classroom after 11 years of a district literacy coach. I have enjoyed seeing my student go bonkers over reading. I can’t keep up with them.They choose what they want to read. In my district, DRA reigns supreme. There is so much more to reading and readers than these levels and timing their oral reading. Reading this confirmed what I see everyday in my classroom. Just let them read and discover their interests. I can’t keep a book in my hand where they won’t ask to borrow. Thanks for this post.

As a librarian, I have fought for years against leveling books. I was supported my District years ago against AR, but my job as a librarian was shifted to support classroom curriculum instead of supporting reading enjoyment, reference process, and library skills. Now a new deputy superintendent, whose old District used a Lexile based reading program, is spending money on a program that is lexile leveled. While library books are hardly given any budget money, tens of thousands is being spent on lexile leveled ereader titles for this program. Young teachers have been data driven right into relying upon numbers to establish appropriate reading materials for students. Administrators have joined the reformers to distrust teacher’ acquired skill at fitting books to each student and instead force them to quantify and qualify by numbers instead of by a combination of decoding ability AND interest. Vendors are glad to build preview boxes, selections, and lists created by simple leveled formulas. The skills that teachers built by learning how to “fit” a book to a student and teaching students to self-select challenging and intetesting reading material is being prostituted to paying publishers for poorly written formulaic books dressed up with attractive level numbers. It is a disservice to our students that ultimately destroys their confidence in becoming independant readers.

LOVE this!! As a teacher, it pains me to use this system, and have kids read within their lexile range. It makes me much more aware of what the kids are reading. INTEREST should be a guiding factor, and then students and teachers can narrow down books from there. Someone wrote that it might be a good starting point, and I can agree with that, but it should not be the only factor. Quantifying “reading levels” is something I’ve always struggled with.

To make an analogy, I use dance moves. I’m not a dancer, nor dance instructor, and am quite bad at dancing. Nonetheless, I think students just need certain instructions on the “dance” of reading, and they don’t have all of the “moves” down– some might, but most fall in between. We need to give kids books that allow them to find the right “dance” that works for themselves, but is also emotionally, academically, and cognitively engaging.

This is a wonderful analogy—one that I might borrow (but credit you!). This is a broken system, and the more we can direct folks to be critical of it, the more they won’t rely on it, as you said. Thanks for sharing your analogy!

Ricki – Great post. Another example I typically use is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel coming in at 1060 Lexile or a 9th grade level. Sadly, I think some teachers want something easy – just tell me a number or letter so I can match kids and not actually have to read books. I am tabbing this post to come back to. Thank you.

Readability formulas are used to sell books to schools and give a false sense of control. The work by John Bormouth has shown that there are so many variables in readbaility, that these simplistic formulas are silly.

We know that sentence length is a variable. However, sentence clause structure provides a confound. For example, a simple sentence, such as “I like pumpkin pie” should be easiest to make meaning of, if the reader has prior knowledge of the utterance.

A compound sentence is composed of at least two independent clauses. It does not require a dependent clause. The clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction (with or without a comma:

“I started on time, but I arrived late.”

this is also fairly easy with background knowledge.

A Complex sentence has one or more Dependent clauses (also called subordinate clauses). Since a dependent clause cannot stand on its own as a sentence, complex sentences must also have at least one independent clause.

“Let him who has been deceived complain.”

what makes this more difficult, even though the compound sentence is longer is that the restrictive relative clause who has been deceived specifies or defines the meaning of him in the independent clause, Let him complain. There is more difficulty in resolving the clause structure for meaning. So sentence length, or word length is not a good metric for readability.

Try this one:

To be, or not to be.

short, but maybe the hardest idea in the English language.

Readability formulas simplify the reading experience, but they are not reliable. They don’t measure what they say they measure. Don’t even get me started on time shifts and anaphor resolution.

I found this article via Buffy Hamilton’s wall and I must say you are 100% RIGHT! Former librarian here and now writer (kids lit and romance). Good for you and THANK YOU, ma’am. I shared it on Linked-In, my writer pages, and you rock!

Have a great weekend! I dedicate the song REBEL REBEL to you! Love it!

Thank you for this lovely, encouraging comment! I am very appreciative that you shared the post! I love the song dedication, too. I try to rebel only when it is important. This makes it more meaningful, right? 🙂

Great post. My mom was a librarian in a large public library downtown. When I was a little girl in elementary and middle school, if I was all caught up in school work,she would let me skip school and go to work with her. I could spend all day reading any book I wanted. There were never restrictions on books that were ‘beyond’ my grade level. My father was a physician. When we asked questions about the body or medicine, he would bring home primary research articles. My mother would often read young adult novels (Madeline L’Engle, E.L. Konigsburg,Scott O’Dell, Lloyd Alexander, Ursula LeGuin, and more!) and we would have wonderful talks about our shared reads. Those days were some of the most treasured memories I have. Reading exploration should have no boundaries.

Thanks for your very thoughtful post! As a second grade teacher, this leveling madness is not ok for first and second grade readers either. As we strive to develop ultimate book love in our youngest readers, the danger in attaching a letter or number to a student or book sends a strong message. Why are second graders taking the SRI?

I am very glad for your comment. I agree with you, but because first and second grade is outside of my expertise, I try not to speak for this crowd. I am actually glad to read your comment because it makes good sense to me. I adjusted the post to reflect your comments!

I wish you’d leave your name, so I could address you properly. I approved your comment to prove that I certainly respect other opinions, but I wish you’d written more. In the article, I actually don’t say they don’t matter at all–I say that they are one of many, many factors that need to be considered. I think other factors are much more significant when we consider how important it is to build reader confidence and foster a love of reading. My argument within this post is that we can be MORE than reading levels. I recommend trying it. You might be surprised at how well it turns out!

Thanks so much for this post. I am guilty of wanting younger readers to take out at least one book that they can read, or become a reader with. I have trained my library monitors to help the K’s and 1’s to find interesting titles that fit this criteria. They do a pretty good job of selling kids these kinds of books, because they often refer to their own favorites. But if a K wants to take out another text (like a minecraft book – these are very popular with nearly all ages) then that is ok too. What bothers me as much as this is when teachers claim a book is too easy for a reader, or as one teacher in our school does, bans graphic novels from her classroom.

It sounds like you use levels thoughtfully. Even though others in the comments section have argued that First and second grade don’t need levels either, I don’t pretend to specialize in those age levels. I think the trouble is the strong adherence to reading levels.

I couldn’t agree more with this post! I’m a PK-8 school librarian and, aside with the concerns that have already been raised about leveled reading programs, I’d like to add that many of the text sets that are packaged and promoted by publishers fall short from a multicultural/inclusivity vantage point. If school systems are solely purchasing these products, and teachers are not looking beyond them, there are many voices missing from students’ reading experiences.

I cannot agree strongly enough! There is so much to be said for children having the opportunity to passionately pursue reading, and their interest cannot and should not be defined by a number or formula.

I actually just encountered this the other day. I took my son to the library, and was trying to find a place to start helping him find books he’d read. (He loves reading, which is good, but I don’t want him to be bored.) The librarian, who was super helpful, showed me how to look up books by reading level… but my son just picked out books that were interesting to him, regardless of reading level. I’m perfectly ok with that. I’d rather have him reading things that interest him, regardless of reading level, than not have him reading because the books at his reading level aren’t interesting to him. We ended up with about 18 books between us!

My ESE students in 4th and 5th grades do NOT want to read about Fluffy the Dog, even if it is at their lexile level. They want to be challenged and excited, and actually learn while reading. Historical fiction has them mesmerized, so much background information included with all the vocabulary and comprehension pieces that go along with fiction!

Very interested in this. My son’s teacher won’t change his “level” – sorry to use that word!!! So he has to read tedious books with simple sentences. His ability is about 6 levels higher (again sorry to use that word). And he has no control over choices of book at school. I am now trying to take him to the library as often as I can and let him choose books he likes the look of. I think you have given me a wake up call though as last time I did tell him that some books might be a bit tricky and encourage him to select another. In future, I am going to let him run with what excites him :). I can read with him, help him or read to him if the book is a bit tricky for him to read himself. But I want to foster a love of books and for him to follow what sparks his interest – even if that is a Star Wars book – arghhh!

Thanks for this article! I have recently been introduced to these lexile levels via my 6th grader who stated he must read books at his level in his Literature Block Class. I see two problems here, forcing a child to read only certain books of which they may have no interest and the rating system itself. I mean come on, Diary of a Wimpy Kid has a higher lexile than To Kill a Mockingbird or Harry Potter? One has cartoon drawings throughout the book! A love for reading cannot be manufactured and pushed but rather nurtured through a child’s interests. Thanks for sharing your knowledge on the subject.

Karen, I agree. I’ll say that I absolutely love Diary of a Wimpy Kid! My placement of it on the list was intentional. It was to show that many kids adore that book, and they are not in 9th grade! Preventing them from reading it would be foolish!

My 5th grade son loves to read, always has. No surprise then that his AR level is 9th grade, he is punished for not testing enough. He had no interest in the books they say he should read ergo reading has become a chore. The AR system is in some cases killing the joy of reading. Thank you for understanding the hell that is a system bent on destroying what your child holds dear.

Bah! I am with you. I think if we can foster good reading habits at home, it may not take away from perceived negative experiences that some students describe in school. I am not sure about this, but I think it would make for a great research study!

[…] can probably find even more members of my cohort who would subscribe to the Ricki Ginsburg club of “Anti-Lexile Anti-Reading Level” devotees. Goodman’s post references an article by Paula J. Schwanenflugel and Nancy Flanagan […]

I love this blog post! When my son was in kindergarten and we went to the library together, he told me that he couldn’t borrow one of the books because it was above his level. I took a deep breath, counted to 10, and then calmly explained that he could read any book that he wanted. His teacher was great, but my son had quickly internalized his reading level and thought that it applied to every book that he was supposed to read. Thankfully, his teacher and I corrected this line of thinking and reinforced that my son could and should be reading any book that interests him.

As an elementary school librarian, it drives me crazy when students are told by their classroom teachers that the students are only allowed to read books that are “on their level.” Just let the kids read!

Wonderful. We just had a lot of discussions about this at our school. I believe that the problem stems from teachers wanting to use software (Reading Counts, AR etc) to track independent reading,and the false belief that the Lexile level etc. will help them score high on quizzes. Since their scores are shared with parents, teachers get freaked out that low scores on quizzes etc. will reflect on their teaching. So, it’s a vicious circle with the kids suffering from the insanity.

Amen! My daughter recently checked out a book, read it , and then was told she couldn’t take an AR test because it was above her level! I was livid. I have contacted the teacher, but have not yet received a response.

My daughter is in 3rd grade and her school has decided that her reading lexile is between 740-890. Apparently that makes the “Just Grace” books (which seem fairly easy IMO) out of the question as they won’t let her test above her level and “A Wrinkle in Time” (much more complex) below her level?? This makes zero sense. Zero. I’m not sure who assigns lexile numbers but the simple fact that “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” has a much higher level than “The Grapes of Wrath” tells me there is a serious problem and if we, as parents/educators, don’t question this then our children are in real trouble.
Unfotunately her school rewards children for earning points (but only if it’s in their lexile). I do not want her to be focused on lexile numbers that, quite frankly, do not make sense.
I want her to choose books that transport her. I want her to have a lifelong love affair with reading. Isn’t that the true goal?

Brooke, your story reminds me of Donalyn Miller’s recent posts that show the problematic nature of external rewards (like points) for reading. These are also detrimental for lifelong reading habits. Bah!

As a high school English teacher of students who struggle with comprehension and decoding, and often are indicated as between 3rd and 6th grade independent reading levels, I use and love reading levels. They don’t limit as much as they provide a point of origin in the tracking of a student’s journey to improved interaction with text. As we are a small school, I am the librarian as well. Students know their independent reading level, but not as a tool for limiting their choices. Their awareness of reading level simply helps them feel less overwhelmed when browsing our small but mighty collection!
If course, a pitfall of this honesty is that students can become discouraged if reading level information is presented as ONE mode of measurement. I’ve had a lot of success using the following analogy with high schoolers:
You think you’re stupid, but let me ask you this…I can’t speak Spanish. Does that make me stupid? Or does it mean I haven’t learned it yet? You have my pledge that I will teach you what you want to know if I know it myself. If I don’t know it, we’ll learn together.

Celeste, I really appreciate your comments. I think there are a lot of advocates out there who promote it as just one tool. The fact that their choices aren’t limited is fantastic. My only fear is–when students are defined or labeled at levels, they tend to become those levels. For example, if a student has a very low reading level, they may feel as if they are a poor reader and not feel the same emotions that a perceived excellent reader feels. I love your perspective and energy, so feel free to push back. This blog post, perhaps, doesn’t allow for some valuable gray area in the discussion, and you excellently point this out!

I started my daughter reading at 10 months of age. I left board books in a basket on the floor with all of her other toys. I treated the books as favorite toys and she continually brought me books to “play” with. I continued to model reading to my child by reading books that I liked – and allowing her to look at my books and also allowing her to “play” with my books…to touch them and look at the words on the page. At four and five years, She loved to just carry them around and pretend that she was reading them. Now (she is nine and in 4th grade) we read together. We just finished The Secret Garden and have started on the Nancy Drew series. We share reading either by trading paragraphs or assuming characters. This makes it fun and it is “our” activity and special time together each night after the pajamas are on and we are winding down for sleep. She tests well above her grade Lexile level and it is because books are ‘lovely things’ to her – not work or…’homework.’ However, I don’t rely on Lexile levels for her to pick books from and, thankfully, neither does her teacher! She can read whatever she wants to read. Sometimes this means picking a ‘fun’ book from a 2nd grade Lexile level … and that is O.K! As long as she is reading, she is working on her reading skills. As long as she is choosing to read something new and adventurous through a story in a book – her mind is being engaged in imagination and curiosity – and that can be measured in “good” learning habits and reading success. 🙂

My school is just now starting its delve into lexiles – a new co-ordinator is obsessed with them, and many sycophants (Sorry, but that is what they are)are pushing forward regardless of real research. It is very discouraging to those of us who have been teaching for 20+ years to see our schools address reading this way. They are basing new selections on lexile and if the books are written by non-white writers. Nothing else. The saddest thing is that people are afraid to loose their jobs, and those of us who are not fawning over “The Emperor’s New Clothes” are chastised for not being intelligent enough to see the value of the “new” approach. Any advice?

I think it’s important to educate about the dangers of these reading measures. Understanding reader growth is more complex than a number. Studies have shown the inaccuracies that exist in these measurements. Flooding readers with books that are highly interesting to them is going to be much more effective on their reader growth than reducing a student (and a book!) to a number. I would argue that increasing the diversity of texts available is very important, so I do like their initiative to seek out multicultural texts. That said, we shouldn’t just select texts that fill check boxes. There are plenty of highly literary, highly engaging multicultural texts being published that this shouldn’t be a difficult task.

Research shows that the vast majority of students leave schools with little to no desire to read for pleasure. Is that because we are chastising others for not reading these texts with high lexile levels? Are we making reading a chore? A practice that only the elite understand? A book is more complex than its readability number.

Im a 6th grader and when i took a lexile test for my grade, i got stuck with books i hate so much. We had to search for books in my lexile. I as so bored of those books. I want to read whatever i want to.

Carlos, your post makes me feel so many emotions. Thank you for sharing this with us. I am going to include your comment in the original post. I hear your words. While you may be stuck with books in school, please remember to keep reading the books that make you feel fulfilled. This was my strategy in elementary school!

[…] text is defined as any text where you are having students critically think. It DOES NOT mean only Lexile. Even Common Core who started this specific terminology states that you need to look at different […]